NZ Lotteries Launches Online Sales - mylotto.co.nz

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Embargoed until 11.30 am, Monday 26 May 2008

NZ Lotteries Launches Online Sales Through mylotto.co.nz

NZ Lotteries has today launched its new online sales channel, www.mylotto.co.nz, that will enable lottery players to purchase tickets through the Internet.

NZ Lotteries’ Chief Executive Todd McLeay says the introduction of MyLotto is in response to strong customer demand for online sales of lottery products.

“We decided to call our online sales channel ‘MyLotto’, as it symbolises the direct and personal relationship with customers that can be offered via the Internet.

“Lotto, Strike, Powerball, Big Wednesday and Keno games will now be available through the new Internet channel. Instant Kiwi tickets will continue to be sold only through our retail channel.

We anticipate attracting infrequent players of lottery games who are attracted by the convenience of buying over the Internet,” Mr McLeay says.

NZ Lotteries has spent the past year developing the infrastructure to enable safe and secure online sales. The technology has been developed by leading international gaming system provider GTECH, in association with New Zealand suppliers Datacom and Gen-i and other key vendors.

“We have also worked closely with the Government and our regulators to develop an online sales platform that minimises the risk of problem gambling. All players will have to complete a registration process before they can purchase a ticket. There will also be set spending limits, and players also have the option of setting their own limits or exclude themselves from games”
Mr McLeay says.

Based on overseas lottery experiences, NZ Lotteries estimates up to a few percent of its annual sales will come from the online channel in the next few years.

“Our traditional retail channel will remain the main source of NZ Lotteries’ sales, but this additional online channel will enable us to better meet the demands of the ever-growing online community who prefer shopping via the Internet,” Mr McLeay says.

“This will help NZ Lotteries to maintain a good level of returns to the Lottery Grants Board, in order for funds to be distributed to arts, sporting and cultural groups, and more than 3,000 worthy community causes per year,” he says.
MyLotto will be open for business between 6.30 am and 11 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and between 6.30 am and midnight on Wednesday and Saturday.

Players will be able to store their favourite numbers and will never have to worry about losing a winning ticket again. Tickets can be bought for up to ten weeks, and on draw days, ticket sales will close at the same time as those sold through the retail stores. Tickets purchased through a MyLotto account will not be able to be checked at retail stores. Ticket results will be checked in a player’s account.

ENDS

NZ Lotteries Background

The New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) was established in 1987 and operates as a Crown Entity under the Gambling Act 2003.

One of the largest Crown-owned trading enterprises, NZ Lotteries employs approximately 115 staff based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as territory representatives in some regions. We have a retail network of more than 1,000 lottery outlets that employ more than 4,000 people, the largest single retail network in New Zealand.

NZ Lotteries’ profits are transferred to the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board which administers funding allocations to arts, cultural, sporting, and community groups. Since its creation, NZ Lotteries has contributed more than $2 billion to the Lottery Grants Board. About 76 percent of NZ Lotteries’ sales go back to the community in the form of prizes and lottery grants.

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